President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate big technology companies over alleged infringement against Nigerian media organisations.
The companies were to be investigated for alleged anti-competitive practices, unlawful exploitation of news content, and other potentially unfair market conduct.
As stated in a press release by the FCCPC Director, Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, on Monday, Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria would also be on the radar of the Commission.
NPO And Its Alleged Infringement Petition
The directive was sequel to a joint petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO).
The NPO comprises the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The position of the Federal Government was communicated to the FCCPC in a letter signed by the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.
The investigation would open a new vista in Nigeria’s media history as concerns have been raised in recent years by the Nigerian media industry over the growing impact of certain digital platforms on the sustainability of the country’s news ecosystem.
Specifically, the NPO was uncomfortable with the activities of major technology companies, including Meta, Alphabet, X (formerly Twitter), and certain Generative AI platforms.
It cited practices capable of undermining fair competition, the commercial viability of Nigerian media organisations, and the legitimate rights of content creators and publishers.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Mr. Tunji Bello, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to conducting an independent, transparent, and evidence-based investigation.
“We recognise the strategic importance of the media to Nigeria’s democracy and the equally significant role of technology in driving innovation and economic growth.
“Our responsibility is to objectively determine the facts and ensure that competition within the digital ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and consistent with Nigerian law,” Bello stated.
Clarifying the issues, Bello added that, “This inquiry is not directed at any entity by presumption of wrongdoing.
“Rather, it is an opportunity to carefully examine the facts, hear from all affected parties, and determine whether any conduct has resulted in anti-competitive outcomes or unfair business practices.
“Every party will be accorded a fair opportunity to present relevant information before any conclusions are reached.”
In specific terms, FCCPC will determine whether the practices in question constitute a breach of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 or any other applicable law.
In the past, FCCPC had investigated META and in 2025 won a landmark case against the tech giant for violations of FCCPA, including data breach, for which the tech giant was fined $220m. Meta has however appealed the fine.
Under the new investigation, areas of interest include allegations of market dominance and potential anti-competitive conduct.
Second is the allegation of unauthorised extraction, scraping, ingestion, or commercial utilisation of copyrighted news articles, broadcast materials, and other original journalistic content for the development and training of Generative Artificial Intelligence models.
Third is the concern regarding the lack of equitable commercial engagement between global tech companies and Nigerian news publishers.
Central to this is the allegation that affected media organisations have been denied meaningful opportunities to negotiate fair compensation or appropriate commercial arrangements for the use of their journalistic content.
Incidentally, similar agitation by media organisations in South Africa led to an investigation by the South African Competition Commission.
Following the investigation it was finally negotiated that Google compensate South African news media by R688 million ($40 million) annually for three to five years.
